A Schottky diode has a low forward voltage drop and a very fast switching action that may be utilized in switched mode power supplies and the like. The Schottky diode uses a metal semiconductor junction as illustrated in FIG. 1. A high-power Schottky diode according to the conventional art includes first and second semiconductor layers 105, 110, a guard implant region 115, a termination oxide layer 120, a first metal layer 125, and a second metal layer 130. The first metal layer 125 and the doping concentration of the second semiconductor layer 110 are selected to form a Schottky junction 135 at the interface between the first metal layer 125 and the second semiconductor layer 110. Accordingly, the first metal layer 125 forms the anode, and the first semiconductor layer 105, second semiconductor layer 110 and second metal layer 130 form the cathode 140 of the Schottky diode.
The termination oxide layer 120 and guard implant region 115 form the termination region of the device. The termination region 115, 120 protects the device against avalanche breakdown during reverse bias conditions. The termination region 115, 120 is usually dimensional and designed just to sustain the desired breakdown voltage. The current capacity of the termination region 115, 120 is limited by its reduced area. The limited current capability in turn limits the overall reverse performance of the device. Accordingly, there is a continued need for a power Schottky diode having improved reverse performance.